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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

My 'TVB Rant' # 18: Blatant SNUBS from TVB's 'Season of Love' Top Onscreen Couples of All Time Poll

I know TVB’s poll took place over 2 months ago and the results are pretty much done now, but I sort of got 'reminded' of it when I was doing my 'Weibo Fever #10' post. Actually, I remember laughing (after my anger subsided, that is) when I saw the final nominees from the poll because some of the so-called 'classic on screen couples' that TVB chose (nominated) to be in the poll were definitely NOT 'classics'!! I honestly don't know what criteria TVB used to choose the final nominees (all I know is that they chose 1 couple from the series that aired each year starting in 1967), but I do know that many of the couples they chose to be in the poll definitely would not be most audiences' picks (I'm talking longtime watchers of TVB here) to represent that particular year! And to add salt to the wound (so to speak), not only did they choose some 'undeserving' couples to be in the poll (meaning they don't even come close in terms of 'classic' couple), they also left out some couples that are very OBVIOUSLY classic, memorable pairings (for example, I don't think anyone would disagree with me that Felix Wong's Kwok Jing and Barbara Yung's Wong Yung in "Legend of the Condor Heroes" was an endearing onscreen couple and absolutely falls into the 'classic' category, right??). Well, Felix and Barbara were just one of the many examples (I've listed more of them below, based on my humble opinion) of the obvious SNUBS from the TVB poll. [Maybe in a way, it's sort of better that I waited to write this post because I probably would have been more harsh / critical toward TVB (or whoever it was who chose the nominees) if this post had been written back then.]

Anyway, in terms of the poll itself, I didn't have too much of a problem with the nominees from the 60s and 70s era, since most of those I would have probably picked as well (plus many of those were before my time anyway and I didn't watch most of the 70s series until the late 80s, so the impact is a bit different). I also didn't have too much of an issue with the 'after 2000s' couples either (well, I guess it was more like I didn't really care, since that was around the time when TVB started deteriorating and I didn't really give a crap about many of their artists and series from that time anyway). The ones that I truly had a problem with were the picks from the 80s and 90s era, as that was the era where TVB was at its peak and it was also the era that produced the most truly memorable onscreen couples (there were so many SNUBS and 'WTH picks' from the 80s and 90s era, I was starting to wonder whether the person who put together this poll even watched TVB series period!!)

I know this will sound mean, but the person who put this poll together must have been on drugs or something because it's hard for me to believe that any HK TV series fanatic or long-time TVB follower would actually fail to include most of the below couples on the poll (the first 5 couples especially!!) and instead choose to include such 'forgettable' pairings as Liu Wai Hung and Carina Lau from "Games People Play" or Liu Wai Hung and Esther Kwan from "Mutual Affection" in the 'classics' category!!!

So which 'classic' onscreen couples did TVB leave out in their poll? And which couples did they include that made diehard TVB fans like me scratch my head and exclaim WTH?? Read on for the ‘lowdown’…..

Quick question – which TVB fan out there has NOT seen the 80s version of “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” (or at least heard about it)? For those who have seen it, how many people out there would NOT consider Felix and Barbara’s portrayal of KJ and WY as ‘classic’?

Ok, this one really bugs me actually….TVB obviously remembered to nominate Andy Lau and Idy Chan's "Return of the Condor Heroes" pairing, but yet they forgot to include the couple that started the whole Jin Yong hype in the first place (at least for most of us who grew up in the 80s that is): Felix and Barbara's classic pairing from "Legend of the Condor Heroes" (which came before ROTCH, by the way)!!! Just look at the facts -- it has been close to 30 years since the 80s version LOTCH was made, yet to this day, when many audiences think of Kwok Jing and Wong Yung, the names that automatically come to mind are Felix and Barbara's -- not to mention that this pairing is still wildly popular all over Asia (not just in HK) even now! And you know what ticks me off the most about Felix and Barbara being 'left out' of the poll? Well, TVB decided to include Chilam Cheung and Athena Chu's portrayal of Kwok Jing and Wong Yung from the 90s remake (the series pretty much sucked in my opinion) in the poll, yet their pairing (and portrayal of the characters) was NO WHERE NEAR as 'classic' and 'endearing' as Felix and Barbara's (nothing against Chilam and Athena, as I like both of them as artists…I just didn’t like the 90s remake period). Well then, how the hell could TVB fail to nominate Felix and Barbara in their ‘Top 10 Onscreen Couples of All Time’ poll??

Ok, in a sense, I could understand why TVB wanted to include Andy and Idy in the poll, as they truly were a classic couple (and to this day, the ONLY portrayal of Yang Guo and Siu Lung Nu that most audiences recognize). In fact, I absolutely would have included them as well…BUT….NOT AT THE EXPENSE of Felix and Barbara! I mean, I understand the difficulty in choosing because both LOTCH and ROTCH aired in 1983, but I think this would be one of those instances that warrant an exception – meaning that TVB should have chosen BOTH COUPLES to represent that year, since both were equally important! Come on now – would anyone really have minded if there were 45 couples in the poll instead of 44? It’s not like audiences would have rioted or anything if there were 2 couples representing 1983 instead of the traditional 1, right?

In any poll that deals with 80s 'golden couples', how is it possible that at least ONE Michael Miu and Barbara Yung pairing is not included? I mean, they were THE representative onscreen couple of the 80s, as the two of them pretty much collaborated in the most series during that era! Though I personally would have chosen their collaboration in “The Fearless Duo” for the poll (primarily because their love story in that series was the most touching and the one with the best result), but honestly, I would have been happy even if they were nominated for a different series (i.e.: “The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung”, “The Foundation”, “United We Stand”, etc.). Michael and Barbara were paired together as a couple 4 times in 1984, so that means TVB had at least 4 series to choose from in terms of a nomination, yet they failed to choose even ONE??? What are the odds of that happening?

Hmmm….tough one, but I actually would have chosen Michael and Barbara over Tony and Maggie. Why? Well, if we’re talking ‘classic’, back then Michael and Barbara as a couple was way more popular than Tony and Maggie – plus I’ve always been of the opinion that Tony’s character matched better with Margie Tsang’s Yip Hao Yee in “Police Cadet ‘85”. Also, if we look at sheer numbers, Michael and Barbara were paired together 4 times versus Tony and Maggie being paired just once -- according to the TVB traditional formula, if an onscreen pairing is overwhelmingly popular, TVB will usually ‘milk’ the relationship by having them pair up as many times as possible….so to me, the fact that TVB had Michael and Barbara pair up so many times tells me that even they felt that these 2 were popular and compatible as a couple! And just like with 1983, if TVB really wanted to include Tony and Maggie as well, then again, make an exception and include BOTH!

Sorry for being mean, but who in their right minds would leave Deric and Maggie out of a TVB classic couples poll??? I mean, as a long-time TVB follower, if you were to ask me for a list of TVB's classic 'golden couples' , Deric and Maggie would ABSOLUTELY be near the top of the list! They were one of the most endearing and popular onscreen couples of the late 80s/early 90s (starting with 1989's "Looking Back in Anger" and pairing up twice more in 1990's "The Blood of Good and Evil" as well as 1994's "The Conscience"....and let's not forget 1991's "The Breaking Point" -- even though they weren't a couple in this series, the 2 of them simply collaborating in another series together was a treat in itself). I doubt anyone would disagree if I said that Deric and Maggie were wildly popular as an onscreen couple back then (the early 90s especially). Also, 3 of the 4 series they collaborated in were among the Top 10 higest rated TVB series of their generation (basically counting up to the mid-90s), with their pairing garnering thousands of fans in HK....and yet, they were EXCLUDED from the poll?? WTH??

Um, TVB actually cheated a little with this one because “Songbird” was released in 1989 and finished airing in 1990 – so technically, it could have been counted under 1989 instead (though they still would have lost out, since Felix and Carina rightfully took the spot for 1989). To be honest though, as much as Leon and Nnadia may have looked good together in “Songbird” (and I did like them as a couple in that series), I really wouldn’t consider them a ‘classic’ couple, especially when compared to Deric and Maggie! And again, if we want to go with the ‘numbers’ method – well, up to that point, Deric and Maggie had already collaborated in 2 series together (as an endearing couple in both) whereas it was the first (and only) collaboration for Leon and Nnadia….so for me, Deric and Maggie win hands down!

This snub REALLY ticks me off to no end! The DIF trilogy was one of TVB’s biggest HITS of the 90s and since the series aired in 1995/1996 as well as 1997 (I’m talking about the original trilogy only with the original cast), TVB pretty much had 3 chances to nominate Michael and Kenix, yet they were passed up each time!! How stupid is that???

I mean, is there anyone out there who would disagree that Michael and Kenix are a 'classic' onscreen couple, especially given how IMMENSELY popular the DIF trilogy was back in the 90s? In fact, Michael and Kenix were so popular as a couple that there were even audiences back then who thought they were actually a couple in real life (of course, it didn't help that they filmed alot of commercials together back then too). The weird thing is, TVB obviously recognizes the immense popularity of these two as a couple, otherwise the station would not have paired them up again 2 MORE TIMES in series in the after 2000s era when Michael returned to TVB (they were paired together in "Love Bond" and "Shine on You" ). So you mean to tell me that TVB knew enough to pair Michael and Kenix up 5 times, yet couldn't even nominate them ONCE in their classic couples poll? What gives???

Who TVB chose instead: Well, it depends on which year….since DIF would have been eligible in 1995, 1996, and 1997, let’s look at who TVB chose in those 3 years:

If we look at 1995, I’m actually ok with Gallen and Kathy, since I truly liked and enjoyed “Plain Love”, but just like with Leon and Nnadia, I just wouldn’t consider Gallen and Kathy a ‘classic’ couple -- though I’m not opposed to them being in this poll, I would have readily replaced them with Michael and Kenix instead. I’m definitely ok with the 1997 choice, since Bobby and Esther are definitely a ‘classic’ couple and they would have been my choice as well to be in the poll.

The ‘representative’ couple from 1996 however was an absolute JOKE!! I can’t believe that TVB actually chose Liu Wai Hung and Esther Kwan’s pairing in “Mutual Affection” to represent that year – SERIOUSLY??? Who are they trying to fool? I mean, not only did they pass up Michael and Kenix (which was already a ‘sin’ in itself), they also didn’t include a single pairing from “Cold Blood Warm Heart” either (which also aired in 1996)! I would have been ok with even one of the pairings from CBWH bumping out Michael and Kenix, but Liu Wah Hung and Esther??? REALLY?? Um, since when was LWH and Esther a more ‘classic’ couple than Michael and Kenix? Heck, does anyone even REMEMBER the series “Mutual Affection”???? Enough said!!

If we’re talking about ‘classic’ onscreen couples, another definite choice for me would be Ekin and Nnadia, as they were one of THE representative couples of the 90s. I guess we could sort of consider them the Michael and Barbara of the 90s in that they collaborated in the most series together (in terms of being paired together), though if you ask me, my favorite pairing of theirs is the one in “Instinct” (I cried so hard when Nnadia’s character died in that series).

Anyway, if TVB really wanted to include Ekin and Nnadia, they could have chosen any of their other collaborations as well (they were paired in 4 or 5 series together throughout the 90s, including a cameo appearance as a couple in one of the 90s sitcoms)….yet once again, the two of them were passed up completely! Arghh!!!

Some people may disagree with me here, but I would definitely have chosen Ekin and Nnadia over Chilam and Athena, primarily because I’m one of those who absolutely hated the 90s remake of LOTCH (yes, I actually sat through most of it and regretted it) – plus for me, no one can ever replace Felix and Barbara as KJ and WY (not even Chilam, whom I absolutely adore as an actor). Also, if need be, we could play the ‘numbers’ game here as well (haha…see, told you it’s the TVB formula), since “Instinct” would have been Ekin and Nnadia’s fourth time pairing together (well, technically 5 if you count the sitcom I mentioned earlier).

This one is actually a personal favorite of mine, only because I was a huge fan of the series back then. I may not be a fan of Leon’s (still not even today), but Kathy WAS one of my favorite actresses – plus I really liked the cast of the series as well as the story, so that definitely helped fuel my obsession with this series. From an onscreen couple perspective, Leon and Kathy definitely did look good together and their chemistry in this series (as well as their previous collaboration in “Cherished Moments”) was very apparent. So yes, I would definitely include these two in my list of ‘onscreen couples’ from the 90s.

Who TVB chose instead: Hacken Lee’s Chuang Kit and Sammi Cheng’s Si Mun from “A Life of His Own”

Ok, this is really a tough one for me because I liked both series quite a lot – also, the Hacken / Sammi pairing in this series was one of my favorites as well, so I wouldn’t necessarily say that they weren’t deserving of a spot on the poll. With that said though, if I really had to choose, I would most likely go with Leon and Kathy, primarily because they collaborated in more series for one, and two, I just liked the series too much.

The Bowie and Flora pairing has always been on my ‘favorite couples’ list from the 90s, as I love the natural chemistry between these two. Both of them were excellent in UE and I took to this pairing so much that I totally looked forward to their pairing in “Healing Hands” as well (which turned out to be a disappointment compared to UE, though part of that was because of the messy storyline). Anyway, their pairing is still a greatly memorable one and I continue to hope that one day, they might collaborate again (though most likely not at TVB).

Who TVB chose instead: Since “Untraceable Evidence” aired in 1998 and 1999, it would be appropriate to look at the nominees for both those years:

Given the choices, I would definitely choose Bowie and Flora in UE instead of Gallen and Flora in ATE – ok, I admit that it’s a personal bias of mine because I actually preferred the Gallen and Kenix pairing in ATE rather than the Gallen / Flora one….plus to me, Bowie and Flora are more ‘classic’ in terms of pairing (from a chemistry perspective especially). As for Lawrence and Ada – of course I would keep them in the poll.

.---.

In addition to those listed above, here are a few more couples whom I felt should have been in the poll but were excluded (they're certainly on my list of 'classic' couples, that's for sure!

.-- Tony Leung and Kitty Lai from "The New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" (1986)

.-- Michael Miu and Jamie Chik -- ok, I know they probably don't count because the 3 series they were in together as a couple ("The Yang's Saga", "The Two Most Honorable Knights", and "The Dragon Sword") were sort of 'cameo' performances and they weren't the 'main' characters, but still, they deserve to be on the list, especially since they became a couple in real life (yes, this is my personal bias talking...LOL).

.***.

Concluding Thoughts

Aside from the ‘snubs’ that I mentioned above, there were also a few ‘what the hell were they thinking’ nominees in the poll. I already mentioned one of them above (the Liu Wai Hung / Esther Kwan pairing)….but the pairing that made me really want to strangle the person who put together this poll was the ‘representative’ couple from 1988: Liu Wai Hung and Carina Lau from “Games People Play”.

If you thought the LWH / Esther pairing was a joke, the LWH / Carina pairing was even worse (I actually did watch the series “Games People Play” due to my long-time TVB roots plus I rarely missed a series from back in the 80s, but if you guys never saw the series, don’t worry – you didn’t miss anything). Not only was the pairing of LWH and Carina forgettable, the series itself was forgettable as well. What irks me most is that in 1988, there were SO MANY good series with pairings that could have easily beat out this one -- for example: some of the more popular series from 1988 were: “A Friend in Need”, “The Two Most Honorable Knights”, “My Father’s Son”, “And Yet We Live”, “The Saga of the Lost Kingdom”, etc. – yet TVB chose a pairing from a relatively unknown series? Even now, I’m still scratching my head with this one!

Lastly, as a point of reference, here are screencaps of the entire list of nominees from the poll (one couple representing each year from 1968 to 2011). Note that out of this list, 10 couples were chosen (based on audience votes supposedly) as the ‘Top 10 Onscreen Couples of All Time’ (I’ll do a post on that piece later).

25 comments:

Mostly agree with you on the snubs except I am not too fond of the pairing of Leon Lai & Kathy in Breaking Point because I do not like that drama.Although LWH is sort of my relative, I don't like his pairing with Carina. For that year, I'll pick either Margie with Roger in Saga, Leon & Jacqueline in Friend or Sandra & Stephen in My Father's Son.

I came across your website a few months ago via asianfanatics website. I have read most of your postings and find that we've fairly similar taste, growing up with TVB:) Yes, I love Remembrance with Chilam & Kenix:P Please keep up the good work as I enjoy reading & keeping in touch with the good old days as well as your recent reviews of Bottled Passion & The Hippocratic Crush, two of the recent series I like. I am still watching tvb but have also started to watch some ancient Cdrama, Taiwan idol drama & kdrama because of the poor quality of some tvb dramas. Thank you for your wonderful website and always support it:)

@Anonymous: First, thank you so much for the support! I'm always happy to meet other people with similar tastes when it comes to TVB and/or HK entertainment in general. Your compliments mean alot to me and I will definitely continue to keep sharing my memories of TVB with all of you (though I may not always update as consistently as I would like due to being busy, but I'll try).... :-)

Regarding the pairings...

I can definitely understand regarding Leon and Kathy, as it seems that alot of people are divided when it comes to the 2 of them as a couple as well as the series (The Breaking Point) as a whole -- most people I've talked to either love them or hate them...for me personally, I'm not as crazy about the series now as I was back then, but since I did like them alot at one point, I felt it was fitting to include them.

Regarding LWH...don't get me wrong, I'm ok with him as an actor and respect the fact that he was able garner so much success in the entertainment industry despite not having the looks (even though I don't care about looks, the reality is that the entertainment industry does), however I just was never to fond of TVB constantly doing the 'beauty and the beast' pairing thing with him...it's like TVB was stereotyping and it sort of irked me.

Oh, LWH is your relative? Definitely didn't know that...LOL.

By the way, I would have picked the exact same pairings as you for the year 1988...

Thank you for your reply. Yah, I don't expect you to update daily as this is not a tvb news website but just don't close it down like many tvb fans' English websites:( For TVB fan like me who cannot read Chinese, website like yours is the only source of information for me to relive my TVB lost youth:)

I understand why you picked Leon & Kathy as a pair as they were quite popular back then & I did root for them in Cherished Moment but it is just that I don't like Kathy. I don't know her personally so I guess it is her characters in the series that rub me the wrong way. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think she ditched Deric during their engagement party. Also, she dated Deric while carrying the torch for Leon. I just cannot stand her being so cruel to my Deric right after the Blood of Good & Evil:P In that drama, i root for Leon & Maggie eventhough she left him to Australia. All in all I prefer Leon being a couple with Jacqueline eg A Friend in Need & Challenge of Life. I also hate Kathy's character in Looking Back in Anger.

I have just looked through TVB Onscreen couple poll pairings and is surprised to see LWH is in 2 yrs. I've always see him as a comedy actor & not a romantic one so I never remember anyone who he has paired with. I only remember him as Ah Chan in Man in the Net. Yah, he is married to my cousin but we never keep in touch except attending their wedding banquet. At that time, I was lamenting to my mum, why she didn't marry Chow Yuen Fatt, LOL:P

Are there better pairings in 1985? Because I honestly cannot remember much about Dodo & Simon in that drama. For 2003. I know Triump in the Sky was a hit but I don't feel anything memorable for Francis Ng & Myolie as a pair.In fact I find her annoying and root for Flora & Francis. Is 2004 War & Beauty? Sorry, don't like Bowie & Gigi pairing in that drama. I feel Jade Leung's love for Bowie is more memorable.

I feel there are a few snubs I will like to address eg Chilam with Charmaine in Point of No Return and Return of the Cuckoo, Jessica with Gallen in Cold Blood Warm Heart & Golden Faith, Louis with Jessica in DIF4 & A Step into the Past.

@Anonymous: No worries – I won’t close down the site, as I have way too much ‘classic’ TVB stuff that I still want to share with fellow ‘old-timer’ fans (it’s just a matter of having the time to post stuff).

Regarding Kathy – actually, I sort of agree with you in that as much as I loved The Breaking Point, I didn’t like the fact that the entire reason why everything happened was because Kathy ditched Deric (hence causing him to turn bad)…that’s why even though I like Leon and Kathy as a couple, I still loved Deric in that series, even if he was the ‘bad guy’ (cuz I just like him too much as an actor overall…that’s the Deric fan in me talking…hahaha). And yes, Blood of Good and Evil was my absolute favorite series of the 90s – that series was so well made (from the casting to the script to the acting to the themesongs…everything about it was almost perfrect).

Interestingly, I also like Leon and Jacqueline as a couple a lot as well – didn’t really like them in “A Friend in Need” because they weren’t really together until the end, but absolutely loved them in “The Challenge of Life” (another one of my absolute favorite 90s series) – in fact, I liked them more as a couple than I did Sean and Monica (though I’m a huge fan of Sean’s from an actor and just overall person standpoint).

Ah, so that’s your ‘relation’ to LWH? You’re absolutely right though – I’ve always thought of him as a comedic actor as well, so it’s extremely awkward for me to see him in a romantic relationship onscreen (and he always manages to get paired with the beauties – I’m sure your cousin is very pretty…LOL!).

Yes, there were actually tons of great pairings in 1985 (here are a few of my favorites): Leslie Cheung and Maggie Cheung from “The Fallen Family”, Felix Wong and Teresa Mo or Patricia Chong from “The Sword Stained with Royal Blood”, Tony Leung and Barbara Yung from “The Rough Ride” (ok, they might not be a ‘classic’ pairing, but I loved them in this series and I loved the overall series as well), Eddie Kwan and Mimi Kung in “The Battle Among the Clans”, Tony Leung and Margie Tsang from “Police Cadet ‘85” (they should have gotten counted for 1985 instead of 1987, since Margie only has a cameo role in the 1987 sequel – TVB definitely cheated with this one), and lastly, pretty much all of the pairings from “The Yang’s Saga”. Don’t get me wrong – I like Dodo and Simon as couple as well, but I prefer them as a couple in “The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre 1986” (loved them in that series!).

The choice of Francis and Myolie in Triumph in the Skies was a total joke – I hated that pairing! Either Joe and Flora or even Francis and Flora would have been a better choice (to be honest though, I probably wouldn’t have watched that series at all if it weren’t for Francis and Flora…the series was way too draggy and boring to me). As for War and Beauty, I think I’ve said before that I’m one of the few people who actually didn’t like that series much – I mean, yes, it’s a pretty well-made series, but it just didn’t have the impact on me that many of the series from the 80s and 90s did….and I also didn’t like the Bowie / Gigi pairing either (in fact, I didn’t like any of the pairings in that series).

Lastly, absolutely agree with you on the snubs you mentioned (I was trying to write my post from memory, so of course I probably left out some classic pairings).

Heehee, great minds think alike:) I like Deric Wan very much in the 90s. Blood of Good & Evil is my number 1 favourite.I still remember calling up the video shop everyday to ask when will new tape be arriving:P After so many yrs, I can still remember some of the dialogue. Eg. When parting, after Deric rescued Maggie in UK, he said 'see you' (joy kin) to her. She replied, don't say 'see you' as this means we will meet again, say bye bye. LOL This is the only modern drama which I feel the filming in UK bland in very well with the story. For other serials, I feel the overseas shoots are forced into the story.

Although Leon & Jacqueline spent most of 'A Friend in Need' as friends, he is just so sweet being there for her all the time & waiting for her. Because of that drama, my friend & I learn how to play the harmonica. LOL

Wah, I didn't know there were so many classic pairings in 1985. I never pay attention to what year the dramas are produced. I like all those that you have mentioned too. Barbara & Tony may become a truly classic one if they have the chance to flim more drama together. Dodo & Simon are good actress & actor but I don't really see them as a couple. I always associate Dodo with Chow Yuen Fatt.

I don't really like Triumph in the Skies. I watched that for the overseas shoots only haha...As for War & Beauty, it has some pretty good storylines but overall that drama is slow & boring. I am just not that into any drama Chik Kei Yi produced. Actually his dramas have pretty good & innovative storylines but he has problems with the execution & flow. I feel that in trying to be artistic he has lost me the audience. I don't think I've the mentality of the HK 'see lai' but as entertainment I want to watch an interesting drama with depth not a confusing & boring one:)

It's interesting, but I actually have not come across a single person yet who was not a fan of Deric's in the 90s (goes to show how good he was as an actor, since so many of his series were hits).

Haha...you checking with the video store reminds me of the days when I used to drive with my mom all the way to Chinatown or one of the other Chinese communities to rent tapes of every TVB series and show imaginable -- except that we always waited until the video store received all the tapes for the series before renting because we absolutely hated having to watch a few episodes and having to wait weeks for the next tape (I like to watch my series all in one sitting...LOL)!

Hehe...yes, I remember alot of the dialogue from BOGAE as well....and not just the dialogue, but the many awesome scenes as well....that series is just way too classic and endearing! One of the more emotional scenes for me was the breakup scene between Deric and Maggie (when they were about to reconcile but then they find that disk containing evidence of his dad's wrongdoing and Deric decides to sacrifice their relationship in order to save his father) -- so agonzing! I always feel as though a knife pierced into my heart whenever I watch that scene. Also, despite having watched the series like a million times already, I still find myself crying like crazy during the ending when Deric reunites with Maggie in London and finds out she became blind because she dodged that bullet for him (and I'm still crying even after the 2 of them embrace and the ending credits start to roll....). Talk about being 'obsessed' with a series...LOL!

Regarding "A Friend in Need" -- yes, true....but for me, it was just way too hard to feel much for the Leon / Jacqueline relationship when throughout most of the series the love wasthis mostly one sided....and to be honest, I think the whole thing of Jacqueline getting together with Simon in that series sort of ruined things for me because I just didn't like them together at all (they definitely didn't match!). Even though I wasn't too keen on most of the relationships in the series, I do have to say that the series overall was still quite good.

Haha...I sort of have a bad memory, so I don't always remember either (especially when it comes to dates) -- luckily though, I'm an information hound and keep alot of the TVB related stuff that I've accumulated over the years in a place where I can easily find it, so that definitely helps!

LOL...I always associate Dodo with Chow Yun Fat as well (to me, they will forever be the #1 classic TVB couple of all-time), but I'm fine with Dodo and Simon as a couple because I sort of 'fell in love' with them after watching their awesome performances in HSDS 1986 --they matched so well in that series, both from a physical standpoint as well as chemistry-wise (looks like alot of audiences at that time thought they matched well too, to the point that audiences thought they were dating in real life -- I remember watching a K-100 segment in which they 'played' off this rumor as part of the promotion for HSDS).

I have the exact same sentiment as you regarding War and Beauty (once again proves that 'great minds think alike'? LOL).....Jonathan Chik's dramas all tend to follow a similar pattern in that they are long (40, 50, even 80 episodes!) and oftentimes slow (aka draggy). Not saying that his series aren't good, as they definitely are, plus the storylines are often refreshing, creative, and innovative as you said, but the 'slowness' part is usually what gets to me (probably cuz I'm very impatient and therefore prefer storylines that are engaging and move along at a decent pace).....I don't think I have a 'see lai' mentality either -- it's just that slow, 'artsy' series are just not my cup of tea....

Deric is a good & handsome actor but I think tvb scripts at that time were also good to get so many hits. Even as a Deric's fan I can't stomach his mainland drama.Maybe it is a culture thing or what but I've never been able to watch or finish any mainland modern drama. The only mainland drama I watch is the ancient/historical type but no Jing Yong remake please:P Eventhough the quality of tvb drama has deteriorated, I still feel tvb makes the best modern drama especially the professional occupation kinds & family as well.

Hey, I notice that you did not write a review on BOGAE. Is it because you have too much to write & don't know how to stop:P? I can talk & praise all day & night about it haha..I love everyone in it except that guy who competes with Deric for Kitty's affection. I don't know his name but dislike his acting & character very much. If my pay tv shows BOGAE maybe i'll consider writing the 1st drama review of my life. LOL

I did kept a book listing all the tvb dramas I watched & the years of production but it got lost when i migrated overseas:( Luckily in this internet age, I can easily find them out but just too slack to do it heehee....

I don't really like HSDS so I didn't pay much attention to the pairing. I do not like Cheung Moi Kei & other Jing Yong's heroes who have tonnes of girls chasing after them but are wishy washy with who they love most. I only like the Condor Heroes trilogy because Kwok Jing & Yong Goa are steadfast & loyal in their loves.

True, the scripts back then were also really well put together, but I also feel that the actors had a lot to do with it too because even if a storyline had flaws (not major flaws, but still flaws nonetheless), it was easier to ‘forget’ the flaws by focusing on the aritsts’ good acting. Nowadays, because the artists are just as bad as the scripts, when the storylines have flaws as well, there is nothing to focus on anymore, so the lack of quality is especially pronounced.

No, I haven't written a review of BOGAE. There are actually several reasons for this: 1) Lack of time -- since I'm a writer, I'm tremendously anal about the way I write, the words I use, the format, the length, etc. and so it usually takes me a long time to write up a long post about something (I'm usually writing and rewriting several times cuz I don't like the way something sounds, etc.). I guess you could say I'm somewhat of a perfectionist in this area. Also, since I've been following TVB (and HK entertainment in general) for about 25 years, I've watched most of the series that they've produced (well, I watched more religiously in the 80s and 90s, but not as much after the quality started deteriorating in the after 2000s era) -- since there were so many 'good' series from back in the 80s/90s era, if I had to write reviews on all of them, I probably wouldn't have time to do anything else! :-) 2) For most of the series that I would consider 'classic' (i.e. LOTCH, ROTCH, BOGAE, LBIA, etc.), I tend not to write reviews on because I figured pretty much everyone has seen the series already (and since I tend to introduce plot and characters in my reviews, this would be a waste of time in a series that 10 of 10 people have seen, in my opinion). Not sure if you noticed, but most of the series that I write reviews on are either newer series or really old / obscure ones that likely not everyone has seen -- this way, those who've watched the series can discuss it while those who haven't watched it can hopefully make a decision based on the review whether they are interested in watching or not. Now of course, that doesn't mean that I won't write a review on some of the classic shows in the future (really depends on my mood), but I just feel like in the scheme of things, there's no rush to do so since there are so many other things that I would like to write about first.

Haha…yea, I know, that’s one of Cheung Mo Kei’s (as well as a few other JY heroes’) biggest flaw – but I still like the series nonetheless, primarily because Tony did such an awesome job portraying the character. To me, the awesome casting in the 1986 version had a lot to do with its success – I can tell you that I also watched the 70s version and didn’t like it (primarily because I can’t stand Adam Cheng or Liza Wang)….and I absolutely refuse to watch the 2000 version (though I’ve seen bits of it here and there, but that was all I was able to tolerate) – that particular remake was such a joke, TVB should be ashamed of themselves for making it!

yay, another tvb rant, add oil LL lol (just to let u know i'm still mad at you for not replying to my email that full of burning gossip questions haha)

i'm glad that u bring up this topic, cuz once i saw the nominee list a while back, i could basically mad enough to hit the ceiling lol. i don't have any opinion on the older couples cuz i didn't watch their series that much cuz mostly those series were kinda old and i couldn't find it anywhere lol. but those couples from the 90's to present, i actually had to LOL when i saw the list cuz some of the nominee couples were just straight out ridiculous. as i was going down the list, i seriously couldn't stop myself from laughing. guess the word "classic" has a diff meaning these days for tvb lol.

i so totally agree w/ u on the classic pairing of Felix Wong's Kwok Jing and Barbara Yung's Wong Yung in "Legend of the Condor Heroes", until these days w/ all those remake imo none of the new couples can replace felix-barbara as kwok jing-wong yung, especially barbara's wong yung, she portrayed the character so well that i always find flaw w/ other actress's portrayed of the character lol, i also seriously had a hard time accepting other actors portrayed as kowk jing too since felix made the character so endearing and yet at the same time such an idiot so well lol.u couldn't stand tvb remake of legend of condor heroes? have u seen those mainland remakes? lol, imo those were far worse, but then again, i normally can't stand jing yong mainland remake and mainland dramas in general so i might be bias lol.

of all the old pairing and classic couples, for some reason i couldn't stand the chemistry b/w andy lau and idy chan, it was so boring and no chemistry at all for me lol, plus i couldn't stand idy as xiaolongu, in fact out of all the veterans i must have to say i dislike idy chan the most lol, i could never get her acting lol, and her chemistry w/ andy lau from ROCH was such a paint for me to watch haha. andy lau on the other hand was an excellent yang guo, non of those remake yang guo could pass andy's portrayed imo lol.

totally agree w/ u on bowie and flora from UE, this couple was definitely classic and the series itself was a classic to me as well, though i like forensic heroes (only the first part, the second w/ the overpromoted charmaine and kevin drove me nut lol, then come the speechlessly horrify third installment lol) but sorry to say that FH wasn't great like UE. oh gosh talking about tony and kitty from NHSDS, u know how i feel about this couple and how much i was in love w/ this couple and still do lol, again in my humble opinion, none of the remake could ever never surpass this version and this classic couple. everything was so perfect about this couple, the chemistry and the way each of them portrayed their characters, especially kitty, i actually couldn't accept any of the other actress'portrayed of zhao min. they either went overboard or made the character way too annoying for my taste lol, kitty was just perfect as zhao min. it your fault LL, now u make me miss her hehe.

The Two Most Honorable Knights, haha talking about this series, i also couldn't stand the mainland remake of one of my favorite tony leung series too. ok, now i sound like and old woman who can't stand this and that haha, but u gotta understand some of the stuffs that tvb made in the 80's and 90's weren't only memorable but it had reach the "classic" level that aren't no remake out there could surpass it. i mean imagine if they remake "gone w/ the wind" lol. anyway, back to honorable knights, i love the pairing of hugo ng and kitty lai, tony leung and the actress who i can't even remember her name now lol. the series itself was very enjoyable for me too, especially tony character i always crack up every time he appeared onscreen, the funny dialogue and great acting.

@kk: First, thanks so much for the encouragement…as always, it’s greatly appreciated! :-)

LOL…so sorry about the email…didn’t mean to ignore you, just got sidetracked with other stuff. I’ll definitely get back to it when I get a chance!

Regarding the nominee list – OMG, I had the exact same sentiment about the whole ‘classic’ piece…I actually was also going to put in my post that whoever put the poll together needs to go look up the definition of ‘classic’ (but of course, I forgot when I was writing the post…LOL).

Don’t get me started on Jin Yong remakes, as I could go on and on and on about them (haha). Pretty much I only like the 80s TVB remakes, as those were so well done and the casting so close to perfect that it’s hard not to consider those as memorable ‘classics’. Honestly, I couldn’t stand any of the 90s JY remakes except for one (“State of Divinity 1996” with Jackie Lui and Fiona Leung) – and I absolutely could not stand any of the remakes done by Mainland China or Taiwan (I watched bits and pieces of some of them and hated them so much that I absolutely could not sit through them entirely).

Oh, you didn’t like Andy and Idy as a couple in ROTCH? Hmmm….I’ve actually always considered them a classic pairing…I actually thought they matched pretty well back then, though from an acting standpoint, I definitely prefer Felix and Barbara more. To be honest though, my impression of Idy as an actress has definitely deteriorated over the years, as I’ve seen many of her works and I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that she really can’t act (though I will admit that her version of Siu Lung Nu will always be ‘classic’ in my mind).

Ah, Tony and Kitty – absolutely loved them in HSDS 1986 (that’s my absolute favorite JY remake – I’ve watched it so many times, I could recite it by now…hahaha). Too bad Tony and Kitty’s personalities didn’t match well in real life, as I actually really liked them together as a couple (in real life as well as onscreen).

I know exactly what you mean about many of the 80s/90s series reaching the ‘classic’ level and can’t be surpassed – that’s why I always get really pissed off and annoyed whenever I hear of a remake being done, especially when TVB is the one doing it (um, they already have the most ‘classic’ version of the series, must they be greedy and make yet another version of it? I mean, they made like 3 versions of HSDS and 2 them absolutely sucked!). Excellent analogy with “Gone with the Wind” by the way – that’s exactly what we mean when we lament how TVB (and other stations) ruin a classic!

Yes, I also loved “The Two Most Honorable Knights” and to me, the Tony / Hugo version will always be the most classic! Interestingly enough, this particular remake is usually the one least mentioned or remembered by most audiences (though I think it could be because not a whole lot of people watched it for some reason). The other reason I loved that particular version was the cameo with Michael Miu and Jamie Chik (cuz I love them as a couple in real life…hahaha).

haha, trust me u not mean in saying that the person who put together this list was on drug haha, i think that person either drunk or haven't watch enough tvb series in his/her life time lol. like i said i have no opinion on the couples from the 80's cuz i didn't watch that much 80's series but from 90's til now i think i've watch enough tvb series to know which couple should consider classic or not. for example linda-moses??? haha were these two even consider a couple in heart of greed cuz if i'm not mistaken it was more linda-raymond as a couple and yet though many people find them good together i couldn't help but laugh when linda-raymond on the list, and then came moses-charmaine, myolie-kevin???? haha, though ghetto justice was a hit but this pairing is definitely not a classic and then myolie-francis??? lol it was more like francis-flora or joe-flora that should had been nominated. in my humble opinion, non of the pairings of new fadans and siu sangs are quality enough to be call classic, though i enjoy some of their chemistry but "classic" that's a big NO for moi lol.

anyway, i'm glad that u brought this topic up so that i can have a place to vent out my frustration w/ this beyond ridiculous list lol.

@kk: Yup, absolutely – that’s why I didn’t even bother to talk about the couples from the after 2000s period…cuz to me, they are absolutely NOT considered classic and definitely not worth talking about (though ironically, in the final top 10 results, it’s actually an after 2000s couple that took the #1 spot…GO FIGURE!!!).

LOL…feel free to vent all you want, since the reason why I wrote about the topic was to release my own frustrations as well!

great post! and i agree with your opinions.i noticed most of the snubbed couples are no longer with tvb, or at least one half of them aren't. is that why they weren't chosen? did they snub felix because he moved to CTI? i didn't watch a lot of series from the 80s, but the felix/barbara is so classic that it's a travesty they didn't "win".

and re the two most honourable knights, i actually just rewatched that about 2 weeks ago. i loved this series so much as a kid! my mum actually blamed tony leung's acting in that series (and also in hap hank hang) for my unruly and uncouth mannerisms during that period. i haven't watched any remakes since but i don't think any will able to surpass it neither. and i have yet to see a remake of hap hak hang, which i think is my favourite series from the 80s as i must've watched it over 20 times.

@bebeC: That's a good observation! Not only are most of the 'snubbed' couples no longer with TVB, a few of them also openly 'criticized' TVB throughout the past few years and don't have a good relationship with them (i.e. Michael Tao, Bowie Lam, Felix Wong, etc.)...so I actually wouldn't be surprised if this was TVB's way of taking 'revenge' (as they are known for doing petty, behind-the-scenes actions like this to 'get back' at artists who disobey them). I would actually be VERY curious to know what TVB’s ‘excuse’ is for snubbing so many ‘classic’ couples….I tried combing through a few of the TVB Weekly Magazines (aka TVB propaganda) from that time period, but unfortunately couldn’t find anything.

Yup, Tony’s version of The Two Most Honorable Knights will always be my favorite version as well. I’ve actually seen bits and pieces from other versions and I can tell you none of them can compare to his version. And yes, Hap Hak Hang was great as well, though it’s probably the least recognized out of Tony’s TVB works (it was Tony’s very last series at TVB). Interestingly enough, it seems that Hap Hak Hang is also the least popular among Jin Yong’s works because all these years, I’ve seen very few remakes of the story (not just in HK, but in Taiwan and Mainland China as well).

Eddie Cheung & Margie Tsang - OMG, you forgot "The Black Sabre", how could you?! JUST KIDDING, but they were really cute and funny in there too.

They forgot CYF & Rebecca Chan from "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" OR the "Beggar So" one. GOD, or was I the only one liking them as a pairing? OR was it because Rebecca isn't as popular as some other ones? (*glares* NOT at you but at other people and being bitter about it.)

They didn't include Wayne & Teresa for the most recent ones? DARN...slim chance, but oh well...

Don't like any of the Kevin pairings included. BUT you obviously don't care about him so I'll stop.

And read some comments and yay, I found someone who didn't like "The Breaking Point". DARN, PHEW! NOT the only one. Actually, Shak Sau's version of "The Two Honorable Knights" was more accurate (according to those who watched both versions and read the novel) because they combined and merged so many characters together in the Tony's version that made me feel sooo sad for Gu Long. I actually preferred Hap Hak Hang's series over the novel because it made more sense (even if they changed one of Tony's characters to good on purpose to save his rep and also Sheren's character as well.) DON'T get me wrong, I love Tony but felt kind of messed up that the adaptations changed sooo much for "The Two Honorable Knights".

OKAY...done ranting, maybe more later...IF I don't come back, I might have forgotten.

Sorry if my response sounds disjointed because the way Blogger does the whole comments thing nowadays is confusing, so I might have actually responded to your comments out of order...

Anyway...yes, I'm definitely fond of the Tony / Kitty pairing...to be honest, I actually always felt that Tony matched better with Kitty than with Margie and Carina...but I guess that's just me being biased...hahaha...

Regarding Eddie and Margie -- I know...I've already heard it from others about leaving out The Black Sabre (LOL)...sorry -- had one of those temporary memory lapses that creeps up every so often...haha!

Oooh..good choice with CYF and Rebecca -- though I think that as you said, Rebecca is less popular and so not very many people remember that pairing. To be very honest with you...outside of the CYF / Dodo pairing (which will always be the ultimate golden couple / pairing in my mind), I actually prefer CYF / Rebecca over CYF/Angie (I'm probably one of the few who wasn't too fond of the whole CYF/Angie pairing -- partly because I didn't like the character of Fung Ching Ching in The Bund (all remakes, not just the CYF one).

Oh, I actually can't believe I forgot the Wayne / Teresa pairing too (well, on second thought, I'm not too surprised I guess, since my focus was primarily on the 80s/90s pairings). Yes, they were definitely a favorite pairing of mine, especially in Off Pedder (not as much in Someday)...if you want to hear my honest feedback, I actually felt that Wayne and Teresa had more chemistry in Off Pedder than WAyne and Sheren did in Rosy Business and No Regrets...

Haha..that's ok...you can talk about Kevin if you want...I have less animosity towards him nowadays, primarily because his acting has truly gotten better (though not really where it needs to be in my opinion) and also I like what I've seen from him the past 2 years or so from a 'public relations' perspective...he's still not on my 'like' list, but at least he's off my 'heavily dislike' list....LOL!

Regarding the Jin Yong / Gu Long remakes -- all I'm going to say is that it's a good thing I haven't read all the novels that those series were adapted from (I've only read a few of them due to lack of time...most of original novels are still sitting in my bookshelf waiting to be read...haha)because I know for sure it will affect my opinion of the remakes. I'm the type who absolutely can't stand movie / TV adaptations of books because most of the time, the movie/TV series stray way off from what was in the book....that's why if I happen to watch a series / movie that was adapated from a book and I haven't actually read the book yet, I probably won't read it because I don't want to frustrate myself...

Regarding Felix and Barbara - umm...my sister's fav. pairing of Barabra is actually when she was paired with Michael in other series. LOL! OKAY, that's off-topic, but you did ask about who didn't like the pairing. BUT yes, I remember her obsession with Kwok Jing and Wong Yung (Felix & Barbara) so I guess it sucks that they weren't included. To be honest, the reason why the remake was a joke was partially because of Chilam. YES, I said it and people would kill me, but Athena did fine, but Chilam dragged her down with his inconsistency of looking dumb one minute and super smart the next. Roger Kwok would've been a better Kwok Jing and he does make a cute couple with Athena. (I saw them in this one Shaolin movie once and they were quite cute together.) AND to top it off, Felix ruined it for everyone (YES, he was that good) with Kwok Jing. The remake, I thought, stick closer to the novel YET the acting was all over the place with the cast (though I swore some of them did fine in other productions, especially when they had Lau Dan and what's his name Kwok Jing's master re-praised their roles). I blame the directing then. (LOL) I do agree for one thing with the remake that in a way, Chilam and Athena do look cute together and compatible enough but that doesn't mean they could beat out Felix & Barbara.

MOVING ON...lol, I know you needed that since I kept ranting.

OUTRAGE (YES, I'm reading as I'm ranting, lol), they didn't include Michael & Barbara? I must agree over Tony & Maggie. BUT the why was because of Tony & Maggie's collaboration of current so they just threw that in to make current audience happy? DARN...and I thought we were voting couples 'popular' BACK THEN.

The audience don't like Deric (ARRRGGG, I hate those media again), so they went with Leon & Nnadia? I rather they choose Deric & Nnadia out of randomness since YES, I'm stuck in their collaboration through different songs, lol. But seriously, they didn't include Deric & Maggie? I didn't watch the other two (and you know which ones), but I liked them A LOT in BOGAE even if the ending was so freaking rushed. I never watched Songbird so can't comment but I heard it was along of 'soap-ville' and since I don't like Leon (that much), it's a pass for me.

Considering I did watch 'Mutual Affections' and didn't watch either one of the DIF series, I did remember that and still haven't watched DIF yet. BUT you have a point with Michael & Kenix over the other two, considering how I don't think the two match anyway, I prefer him with Chan On Ying in "Being Rich". (Do you have a beef with Liu Wai Hung though? JUST WONDERING, don't kill me.)

OMG, another SAD case. They didn't mention Ekin & Nnadia? Even if I'm over them already (YES, I shifted gears), I loved them during those days, even if I didn't watch one or two of their collabs, but I did watch the other three. Don't remind me of Instinct, stupid open ending that got me wondering if he had ended up with Amy Kwok, which I hope NOT. Because that would make his and Nnadia's relationship a joke. (Though I knew she would've wanted for him to be happy & move on BUT I rather it's anyone else BUT Amy in there.)

I'm probably one of those who hated "The Breaking Point" to no end. OR I'm the only one who hated it or something since I was rooting for Leon & Maggie. AND then things got even worse with Deric playing the bad guy AND then Maggie got killed by him. The story dragged on and on and on like an energizer battery. And sometimes, just sometimes, it only takes one collaboration to make it memorable than overdoing it right those 'on-screen' collaborates of recent. There are some exceptions, BUT there has got to be some point where you had it with a certain couple. SO...

@DTLCT: Since I liked both the Felix / Barbara as well as the Michael / Barbara pairings, I was absolutely appalled that they were not on TVB's list (well, ok, I guess I'm not too shocked considering TVB's politics)...

And no worries -- even though I like Chilam overall and count him among my 'favorites' list, that doesn't mean I liked every performance from him. To be honest, I never really understood the 'hype' over the 90s remake of LOTCH because I actually didn't like any of the main performances (Chilam, Athena, Gallen, Emily, etc.) except for maybe a few of the veterans. It was definitely a torture to sit through that series (and to be honest, I was so frustrated with it that I didn't even bother finishing it). Maybe it's a generation thing too because I've heard alot of people who were born after the 1980s (or who started watching TVB series in the 90s rather than the 80s) say how "awesome" the 90s remakes were -- it makes me wonder whether they actually watched the 80s versions or not...or maybe my tastes are just different from those of most mainstream audiences...

In my opinion, the fact that TVB didn't include the Deric / Maggie pairing is akin to that of committing a deadly sin (ok, maybe not, but you get what I mean...). I still can't get over how pissed I am at that! As far as Song Bird goes -- I did watch that series and yes, it pretty much IS 'soap-ville'...and even though I was very impressed with Nnadia's performance in that series and was ok with the Leon/Nnadia pairing, I actually didn't like that series overall cuz some of the characters in there were downright pathetic -- including Nnadia's character (and you know how much I hate pathetic characters)...

Hahaha...good question...nah, I don't have beef with Liu Wai Hung (in fact, I sort of grew up watching him on TV), it just so happens that I didn't like any of his pairings in most of his series. I guess I should actually blame TVB more than anyone else because to me, it seemed that they went way too overboard with the 'Beauty and the Beast' concept cuz in most of LWH's series, they would pair him up with all the pretty / popular lead actresses -- it was actually starting to get annoying...(btw, not sure if I mentioned this, but in one of the TVB magazines that talked about the nominations for Top Couples poll, they actually used the words 'beauty and the beast' to describe LWH's pairings -- AND it was implied from those articles that was the main reason for including LWH's pairings in the poll (which, if true, is just plain stupid...).

Not really going to comment about the Ekin / Nnadia thing since I already ranted about how stupid TVB was for not including them. And I absolutely agree with you regarding Instinct (which is part of the reason why I didn't really like that series)...

Haha...I know...you've told me before that you don't like The Breaking Point (and you know I'm fine with that, since everyone has different tastes and opinions about stuff). Looking back now, I'm actually not as 'obsessed' about that series as I was back in the 90s, probably because I was never really a huge Leon fan in the first place (especially when you look at it from a 'music' perspective, since I still have a few bones to pick with him in that area)...and like I had said in one of my eariler comments (in response to someone else), I never really liked how they made Kathy's character the 'cause' for why all the bad things happen in the series...from that perspective, I don't like the way Kathy's character was written...

Sorry, forgot something but it was about "The Breaking Point", LOL! I agree with "Anonymous" and don't like it that they made it like Deric was bad, etc YET IF I was a guy and some girl promised to marry me and ditched me on the wedding day, I would want to kill someone too! What the heck? I hated that type of the plot, making it so weak with turning the villain (who was supposedly good for the most part until one day...) bad on purpose just to have the "villain" around for us to hate. Reminds me of "The Mystery of the Parchment" about the main villain who ended up killing this other woman's whole family because he was so pissed off due to embarrassment with the whole "wedding day ditch" too (except it's ten times worse in ancient days than modern ones - though I can't see how it could get any better either way). But enough about that, LOL! ANd regarding the ending, I think I rather Katy dies since she has to pay for what she'd done to Deric instead of Maggie, LOL! Then Leon and Maggie could patch things up together between them. OR Maggie could try to go change Deric back to being "good" and they live happily ever after. OKAY, that was uncalled for BUT honestly, I'm just pissed off how they crafted the storyline. LOL!

I rather go with Roger & Margie for Sagas of Lost Kingdom too. I hate those pitiful, weaklings who are sooo gentle so the audience would love more. I like Margie's character more and felt she matched with Roger more, etc.

@DTLCT: Yup, agree with you guys about Kathy (see my comment above). You know what's interesting -- I remember reading an 'alternate ending' that a fan of the series had written and published in "HK Screen Idols" magazine back in the 90s and when I read it, I remember thinking how much better I liked the fan's version of the ending rather than the original way it ended. I keep intending to go back and dig up that particular issue of the magazine so I can translate and post that 'fan-made alternate ending', but I keep forgetting (plus the lack of time). Hopefully I get to it one of these days...

Yes, definitely Roger and Margie! Actually, I've never been fond of the Roger / Kathy pairing (from the Lost Kingdom as well as Rain in the Heart) because I've always felt that Kathy looked too mature for Roger and they don't really match...Roger and Margie were definitely a much better match...

@llwy12 - Got it, lol. I didn't want to rant anymore since I went back and re-read (since I read it kind of loosely first time around) some of your comments and found most of the answer there, lol.

Still fun to reminisce. I think some people who liked the '90s adaptation of LOCH was aiming at the novel more than the actual acting? I don't know! 'Cause I remember some details were more accurate YET others got exaggerated along the way too. Though we also know Jin Yong made changes with 2nd and 3rd version so I guess there's no telling what the 'real' version anymore except focus on the seriousness of how they actually prepared the production. OR maybe those who enjoyed are watching on the loyalty base of being fans of the cast instead of just thinking about the other version? I don't know. I remember reading my sister told me she surfed this one forum for old pictures and found comments on how some auidence didn't like Barbara's Wong Yung because they thought she was too mean spirited and not as graceful like some of the later scripts AND I was shocked YET you can see how people have different interpretation of their "Wong Yung" or other Jin Yong characters for that matter. SO there you go with people having different opinions. Though I seriously think the Wong Yung in the novel was even more leaning on the evil side than Barbara's version who got a tad tamer, LOL! And people forgot that Wong Yung's actually like her father after all (with his weirdness at times, lol). Going around in circles but again, just different interpretation or whatever.

Besides, it also depends on which one you watch first that you might or might not become more acceptance of it. I'm just saying it from my past experience since I had to back-watch A LOT of stuffs and might not get the whole hype along with the rest when they watched it during the actual airing (or the time it was popular - if at all). I'm no saying we have to cave into others' reasoning, but more like just looking at it differently and consider different reasons for people's liking one adaptation or not.

Okay, going to end it here since I think I've been re-watching some old stuffs again so I'll rant on my blog. Don't want to "steal" your space here, LOL!

Hi! Let's not give away our age here by fully disclosing what "TVB era" we grew up in, but I'm elated to stumble upon another fellow fan of old TVB series! When I saw the "official list," I, too, felt irate. Before reading your list, with the exception of Michael/Barbara, those were the EXACT couples I named right off the top of my head, too!! Felix/Barbara STILL ARE the unforgettable, all-time-favorite GJ/WY GLOBALLY. Have you seen/read the INNUMEROUS YouTube comments & other Wuxia forums (written in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Thai, Japanese and other languages) from South American/Central American/African/European fans (not to mention other Asian nations)??? Don't get me wrong, Michael/Barbara looked good together physically (and are still some of my all-time-favorite actors/actresses), but the way they looked at each other as lovers in every series together was limited to facial expressions/body language, not eye expressions. Now Michael/Jamie had magical chemistry, both on- and off-screen, even before I knew they were an item in real life.

That TVB list is DEFINITELY "fixed." Chemistry between actors/actresses is something that is either there or it isn't, it simply cannot be "acted out," regardless of acting skill; it is something that shines ONLY through the eye expressions. Those best on-screen couples on "our list" nailed chemistry so well that I actually googled for old tabloids to see if they ever "had something" in real life back then.

As for LOCH & ROCH, I have read the novels & seen several on-screen versions. Although Andy Lau was, indeed, the best YG, he & Idy never had chemistry in ROCH; instead, Louis Koo & Carmen Lee had much better chemistry in ROCH '95. (Idy did a much better job as Princess Lan Ling in The Grand Canal, even though she & Tony Leung had no chemistry as a couple either.) Chilam/Athena....REALLY?? Their pairing had as good of chemistry as Gigi Lai/Lawrence Ng in HSDS 2000 (only watched the interactions parts between GL/LN for comparison to TL/KL in 1986 HSDS). Chilam has a baby face, so I could see why they chose him as GJ, but his eye expressions were not innocent/"dumb" enough. Athena just couldn't nail the WY eye expressions. Personally, I don't think ANY actress (past, present or future) or cartoon or CGI techniques can ever top Barbara's WY eyes. (Idy also played WY in the Taiwan CTV version back in 1988, but she was way too stiff.)

As for Kathy/Leon, physical looks, protagonist/antagonist roles debate (Deric or Kathy's success as villains), soap-opera-ish plot or excellent theme/subtheme songs judgment notwithstanding, in light of "top couples" chemistry, they truly were an on-screen golden couple. The only other pair that I can think of that is not on the list would be Dicky Cheung & Athena Chu in The Edge of Righteousness.

Sigh....Indeed, although some veterans have returned to TVB, they simply cannot recapture the former glory of the "golden eras" of the 80s & 90s. Everything, from bad scripts to poor direction & poor acting, continues to fail across the board. That's why I continue to watch only old series from our generation on DVDs. On an irrelevant note here, as there is an International Comic-Con, wouldn't it be fun to have an International Wuxia-Con????

@Anonymous: First of all, welcome and glad that you got a chance to visit my blog! I'm also elated to find another fan of TVB oldies and was definitely excited to read your comments!

I totally agree with you in terms of the chemistry thing (can't believe I failed to mention that in the post), though to me, the other 'requirements' also include 'memorable' and being able to relate to the couple on an emotional level (which I guess you could say goes back to the 'chemistry' thing). And thanks for all that information about how popular Felix and Barbara were in LOTCH (I had just limited my listing to Asia based on all the stuff that I'd read the past few decades -- I didn't realize they were so popular on all the other continents as well) -- hearing that actually makes me more irate at TVB for SNUBBING them!!!

I can definitely see where you're coming from in terms of Michael and Barbara, though it doesn't change my love for them as an onscreen couple. For me, I think part of it too was how Michael and Barbara were such good friends off the set as well (same with Felix and Barbara) -- plus they definitely got 'brownie points' from me on the 'memorable' and 'emotional attachment' criteria...LOL!

Haha..you are so correct (of course TVB 'fixed' the poll like they do with everything else...it's a habit of theirs that they will never be able to break). I honestly think that you and I (and all the other long-time TVB fans from our generation who commented on this post) should have been hired to put this post together (hahaha...I know, wishful thinking!)...would have saved so many of us long-time fans unnecessary anger and frustration...

As for the LOTCH and ROTCH remakes from the 90s...well, let's just put it this way -- I totally agree with you (and am going to refrain from commenting further about those versions because to me, it's just a waste of time, since I couldn't stand those remakes at all).

Thanks for your vote for Kathy/Leon (their pairing has always been a bit contentious over the years and could go both ways in terms of whether they are considered 'classic' or not)...though like I said in earlier comments, doesn't really matter to me now since neither of them are really active in the HK acting circles anymore...but since I truly did like them as a couple back then, might as well mention it...

Totally agree with you about the decline in quality of TVB series...though I still watch both old and new series alike, I will admit that I watch way fewer new ones nowadays because most of them are not worth my time (I only watch the select few that I would consider 'gems' in the bunch). In terms of old series though, I continue to watch them (whether on TV, DVD, VCD, or video tape) consistently whenever I can -- definitely gives me more satisfaction than watching the newer series...

@Anonymous: Definitely agree -- I loved both "Cherished Moments" as well as "The Breaking Point" and absolutely enjoyed seeing Leon and Kathy as a couple in both series. I feel they have good chemistry together and physically match well together (well, back then at least). As for real life couple offscreen -- um, actually, they were...my understanding is that the 2 of them did date for a few years but it didn't work out so they broke up (neither of them have talked about their former relationship since then, though I remember Kathy mentioned a little bit about it in an interview a few years back). Personally, I feel that Kathy matched better with Leon than she did with her other ex-boyfriend (well, technically 'ex-husband' I guess) Ray Lui...in any case, that's all in the past now.